Latest news with #WorkSafe
Herald Sun
2 days ago
- Herald Sun
Death of Adam Pasek leads to fines for Melbourne elevator companies
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News. The owner of two Melbourne elevator companies has been fined nearly $1m over safety failures that led to the death of his son. Adam Pasek, 21, a fourth-year electrical apprentice, was killed when he changed a circuit board on a switchboard without isolating the power while repairing a car lift at a West Melbourne apartment complex in March 2021. His father, Johan Pasek, was the sole director of Nordic Elevators (NE) and a co-director of Nordic Elevator Services (NES), which were on Friday fined a combined $937,000 after pleading guilty to multiple WorkSafe breaches. Supreme Court Justice James Gorton detailed the failures that led to Adam's tragic death, including how a software system called 'trade cloud' which assigned repair jobs did not distinguish between tasks requiring electrical expertise and those that did not. This led to unqualified persons, including Adam, being permitted to carry out electrical work despite not being licenced. 'The reality of the situation, I am satisfied, was that NES, in practice, left it up to the individual workers to decide whether they felt comfortable to perform the work allocated to them,' the judge said. While the companies had documentation stating that only qualified technicians were to carry out electrical work, those directions were not enforced. On the day of the incident, the job had initially been allocated to another unqualified worker, who was unavailable and suggested Adam take his place. That worker instructed Adam not to touch anything electrical. But Adam, who was working alone, proceeded to replace a power unit without isolating the control panel, resulting in his electrocution. His body was later found by his father after he failed to return to work or answer calls. Justice Gorton said Nordic employees had previously raised concerns about a lack of qualifications and risk of electrical shocks on poorly installed elevators. 'These concerns went unheeded,' he said. 'The risk of unqualified persons undertaking electrical work that should only be performed by an electrician is obvious.' The judge noted the 'profound effect' the tragedy had upon Adam's father, including a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress order and a major depressive disorder. 'He suffers from intense grief and guilt and somatic symptoms such as tremors and agitation,' he said. Justice Gorton accepted Johan was genuinely remorseful and it was tempting to believe a financial penalty served little purpose given the suffering he had already endured. But he said a clear message needed to be sent to other employers about the importance of workplace safety and that failure to eliminate or mitigate risks would result in significant punishment. He imposed a total fine of $937,000 on both companies with conviction.
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Abattoir worker in serious condition after workplace accident in Echuca
A man is in a critical condition following an industrial accident in northern Victoria. It is believed the man was working at an abattoir on Goulburn Road, Echuca, and became trapped in machinery on Monday afternoon. Ambulance Victoria said emergency services were called about the incident about 1:40pm. Police said the male was in critical condition following the accident. The man was flown by Ambulance Victoria helicopter to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a serious condition. WorkSafe said they were on site from 3pm and are investigating.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Nine hospitalised, 200 evacuated after chemical leak at Melbourne pool during routine maintenance
A routine Friday evening(June 20) swim turned into a nerve‑racking emergency at the Broadmeadows Aquatic and Leisure Centre when a chemical reaction during maintenance sent a cloud of sodium hydrogen sulphate, a common pH‑adjusting agent, through the air, sickening nine people and forcing around 200 visitors to evacuate. What happened At 6:15 pm on June 20, patrons reported a gas‑like smell in the building. Fire Rescue Victoria rushed in within six minutes and discovered that the most affected were children. Eight kids and one adult were taken to local hospitals in stable condition, six to Sunshine Hospital, three to the Royal Children's Hospital. Emergency teams worked quickly to ventilate the centre, and by 8:16 pm, it was deemed safe to re‑enter. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free IELTS Cheat Sheet IELTS Prep Pro IELTS Prep Pro Learn More Undo Centre staff also stepped into the spotlight. Hume City Council credited their team's calm but firm evacuation and swift coordination for helping avert a worse outcome. A council spokeswoman said evacuees have been in touch and 'we understand they are all doing well'. Cause of the incident Hazmat units confirmed the culprit was sodium hydrogen sulphate, often used in pools to safely adjust pH levels. The reaction occurred during standard pool cleaning and no foul play is suspected. WorkSafe and Victoria Police launched investigations, while the Hume City Council began an internal review to ensure this doesn't recur. Live Events The incident raises questions about safety checks in recreational facilities used by families and children. Council officials confirmed all swim lessons resumed the next morning, after WorkSafe cleared the facility. Now, stakeholders await clarity from the internal review on what triggered the chemical imbalance.
News.com.au
22-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Nine hospitalised, 200 evacuated after chemical incident at public pool in Melbourne
Nine people were taken to hospital and 200 evacuated following a chemical incident at a public pool in Melbourne's north. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) were called to the Broadmeadows Leisure Centre about 6.15pm on Friday night after people reported the smell of gas inside the centre. Firefighters found multiple people affected by the chemicals upon arrival. A FRV spokesperson confirmed to NewsWire that nine people were taken to hospital for treatment following the incident. About 200 people were evacuated from the leisure centre while FRV hazmat specialists ventilated the premises. A positive reading for sodium hydrogen sulphate was found by the hazmat specialists. The centre was confirmed to be safe to re-enter two hours later by FRV. A Hume City Council spokeswoman said the incident was sparked by the occurrence of a chemical reaction during routine pool maintenance on Friday evening. The spokeswoman said the nine people taken to hospital had been in contact with the council, and 'we understand they are all doing well'. 'Following a thorough assessment by WorkSafe immediately after the incident, it was confirmed the facility was safe to reopen Saturday morning,' the spokeswoman said. An internal review has been launched to confirm the incident's cause, and to ensure it doesn't happen again. 'We thank our staff and emergency services for their swift and professional response and thank the community for their understanding and support,' the spokeswoman said. Sodium hydrogen sulphate, also known as sodium bisulphate, can be used to adjust pH levels in water.
The Australian
21-06-2025
- Health
- The Australian
Nine hospitalised after chemical incident at Broadmeadows Leisure Centre
Nine people were taken to hospital and 200 evacuated following a chemical incident at a public pool in Melbourne's north. Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) were called to the Broadmeadows Leisure Centre about 6.15pm on Friday night after people reported the smell of gas inside the centre. Firefighters found multiple people affected by the chemicals upon arrival. Nine people were taken to hospital following a chemical incident at the Broadmeadows Leisure Centre on Friday night. Picture: Instagram/@balcleisure A FRV spokesperson confirmed to NewsWire that nine people were taken to hospital for treatment following the incident. About 200 people were evacuated from the leisure centre while FRV hazmat specialists ventilated the premises. A positive reading for sodium hydrogen sulphate was found by the hazmat specialists. The centre was confirmed to be safe to re-enter two hours later by FRV. A Hume City Council spokeswoman said the incident was sparked by the occurrence of a chemical reaction during routine pool maintenance on Friday evening. About 200 people were evacuated. Picture: Instagram/@balcleisure A positive reading for sodium hydrogen sulphate was found by Fire Rescue Victoria hazmat specialists. Picture: Instagram/@balcleisure The spokeswoman said the nine people taken to hospital had been in contact with the council, and 'we understand they are all doing well'. 'Following a thorough assessment by WorkSafe immediately after the incident, it was confirmed the facility was safe to reopen Saturday morning,' the spokeswoman said. An internal review has been launched to confirm the incident's cause, and to ensure it doesn't happen again. 'We thank our staff and emergency services for their swift and professional response and thank the community for their understanding and support,' the spokeswoman said. Sodium hydrogen sulphate, also known as sodium bisulphate, can be used to adjust pH levels in water. Clareese Packer Reporter Clareese is a Court Reporter at NewsWire. She previously covered breaking news for the outlet after completing the 2023 NewsCorp cadet program, where she worked at The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, the National News Network and NewsWire. Clareese Packer
